"He Will Wipe Every Tear From Their Eyes"

Revelation 21:4

I just received a phone call from my daughter, Grace. She was in tears of heartfelt sympathy over the death of a close friend’s father. She was trying to make sense of it… trying to take in the immensity and impact on her friend’s life… “She’s only 21, mom.” How crushing it is to lose someone who is so dear. How do we cope? How can we make it through the process of grieving? It’s such a personal journey, and it can be so lonely. People don’t know how to help even though they really want to. A friend of mine has written a worship song whose lyric expresses a simple answer to the inconsolable pain.

“I know YOUR love is the only hope…

and I know I need YOU!”

September marks the loss of my own dear father 8 years ago. I still can’t believe he’s been gone so many years now. I think of him often and see him in the faces of my children (and even my own face) sometimes. Another friend of mine recently lost her father. We are attending a memorial service this week for a friend who has passed… a kind and authentic lady who we will miss. Experiencing grief of this nature has given me deep empathy for others who walk the same road.

I just wanted to mark the season with some words of acknowledgement and healing to those who are struggling with past and present losses of loved ones. Whether your pain is fresh or lingering, I want you to know that you’re literally not alone! God loves you and cares deeply for your hurts. From the Bible’s NIV Translation 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because he cares for you.” The Contemporary English Version says “God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to Him.” I love how descriptive the Amplified Bible is with this verse. “Casting the whole of your care—all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all—on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” My friend’s song goes on to describe the tender manner in which God wants to engage with us.

“YOU take me in as YOUR OWN, and now I know I’m not alone…

YES! YOU LOVE ME!”

May we be blessed & renewed as we move into a new season!

AFFECTIONATELY, KIM

Ice Cream Party!

People ask me all the time what it’s like to be married to a radio announcer. My verbal answer is usually preceded by the raising of my eyebrows and the taking in and letting out of a deep breath. It’s actually a lot of fun having a husband on the air. Dan has been at The Joy FM for 10 years now, and I especially continue to feel connected and grateful to the rest of the staff. It’s like having extra extended family around that you can depend upon in the pinches of life. As individuals they’re the real thing… genuine and consistent.

So I was thinking that we’d celebrate Dan’s decade at The Joy FM by inviting ya’ll to an Ice Cream Party. People have been celebrating and marking special occasions with ice cream for decades. At the Brodie Homestead, Blue Bell is the brand that’s in demand! Did you know that Blue Bell Creameries is named after the Texas wildflower that, like ice cream, thrives in the summer time? They boast 66 flavors, with 20 flavors offered year-round, and an additional 2-3 dozen offered seasonally. So I’ve taken the liberty of pre-selecting a trial smorgasbord from Blue Bell’s palette of flavors, and I invite you to partake with me as we celebrate The Joy FM Staff. The people ARE the ice cream as you’ll soon discover. Just to be a good sport, I even assigned a flavor to myself… I’m Southern Blackberry Cobbler (Creamy ice cream with a luscious blackberry flavor combined with flaky pie crust pieces and a blackberry sauce swirl), because I’m from Little Rock, I love experimenting with the concept of home-baked comfort, and I have a strong side!

Jeff MacFarlane – Chocolate Moo-llennium Crunch
(Rich chocolate ice cream with a combination of dark chocolate chunks, creamy caramel chunks, roasted pecan halves, chopped almonds, walnut pieces and peanuts)
Jeff is serious & complex with a wide range of tastes & talents... AND unmistakable appeal.

Dan Brodie – Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream
(A combination of praline sauce swirled into a creamy vanilla ice cream sprinkled with praline-coated pecans.)
Dan’s a smooth mixture of sweet disposition with a snappy sense of humor.

Carmen – Rocky Road
(Rich, dark chocolate ice cream generously sprinkled with chopped, butter-roasted almonds and miniature marshmallows.)
Carmen is an outspoken southern lady of soul with a huge soft heart who can be a little nutty sometimes.

Bill Martin -- White Chocolate Almond
(Creamy vanilla ice cream with chunks of white chocolate and roasted chopped almonds.)
Bill is a traditional guy with a beautiful mind and a little extra appeal that wins you over. So who cares if he's really lactose-intolerant?

Dave Cruse -- Mocha Madness
(A rich coffee ice cream containing roasted pecan halves and chocolate chips, surrounded by a smooth caramel sauce.)
Dave’s a smooth communicator who is equally serious about work and play.

Michelle Tellone – Banana Split
(Combines fresh sliced bananas, crushed pineapple, diced maraschino cherries and chopped, roasted almonds into a rich vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce and chocolate sundae sauce.)
Michelle knows how to partake of the good things life has to offer and not get too crazy over the details.

Jayar -- Candy Jar
(Rich caramel ice cream containing all of your favorite candy pieces - peanut butter cups, chocolate chunks, peanut brittle, chunks of caramel and chocolate crisp pieces.)
His brain is a “mind-field” of stimulating & creative ideas… but does it seem like he gets into trouble a lot? …the proverbial kid caught with his hand in the “candy jar”?

Luisa -- Ultimate Neopolitan
(Three of the most popular flavors, Homemade Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate and Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla packaged side by side in one carton.)
Louisa is a sweet mixture of the essentials with bonus heart features.

Karen -- Cake and Ice Cream
(A creamy vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles, chocolate-coated cake pieces and a swirl of luscious chocolate icing)
Karen brings her expertise & assets to the table with frosting on top.

Donna -- Homemade Vanilla
(Our most popular icecream and with good reason. It's rich, homemade
tasting vanilla ice cream with a special hand-cranked flavor that's the
best in the country)
Donna is whole-hearted & reliable, and goes well with everything!

Mary -- The Great Divide
(A great combination of Homemade Vanilla ice cream and rich, creamy Dutch Chocolate ice cream in one unique carton.)
Mary is sleek and decisive… a discerning chick with a flare for the practical. No frills necessary.

Johanna – Mint Chocolate Chip
(Creamy mint ice cream sprinkled with delicious semi-sweet chocolate chips.)
Johanna is refreshing in her outlook and her stories stay with you.

Bill Harrier – Dutch Chocolate
(Rich, creamy chocolate ice cream made with the finest imported chocolate)
Bill is essential & irreplaceable! Enough said!

Avery -- Happy Tracks
(Creamy vanilla ice cream loaded with chocolate-coated peanut butter cups and a dark chocolate fudge swirl)
Avery combines the best of youth & intellect served up with a ready smile.

Kris? -- come on… the guy’s already named after a donut company!

Affectionately,
Kim

P. S. Thanks Joy FM Staff for being a part of my family for 10 years!

Spring Cleaning

I will try not to be overly cheesy and sentimental in my postings; however, I should let you know up front that my worldview is distinctly “mother”. Becoming a mom has opened up vast territories in my heart and has played an integral role in my development as a human being in pursuit of a God who is the ultimate Lover of my soul!

But having said all that, I’d like to share with you about cleaning my refrigerator today. You know how when you’re sort of in the mood for a little housework project it goes a little more smoothly? Well, that’s just what happened to me. My kind husband was at the grocery store with a double-text message shopping list when it occurred to me that I could perform refrigerator resuscitation by removing all the out of date items from the overloaded shelves and drawers. So… armed with a bottle of 409, a roll of Bounty, and some self determination, I did a complete makeover on the old girl and brought her back to a state of youth and beauty. It occurred to me as I worked that I was carrying out one aspect of a universally accepted seasonal service otherwise known as spring cleaning. I felt a true sense of industry knowing I was spending some quality Sunday afternoon time on a relatively short and specific task and I purposed to let myself off the hook from further pursuits under the same category.

We’re doing a sermon series at church right now on The Beatitudes. Spring cleaning prompted me to consider the process of spiritual spring cleaning that is suggested by the beatitude “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” The passage was the parable about the man who was brought before the King for being $100,000 in debt. He threw himself upon the king’s mercy and was granted a reprieve. But later, having experienced forgiveness of his debt, that same man had his own servant (who owed him only $10) mercilessly imprisoned. When the king heard, he was disgusted with the man and ended up exacting the man’s own sentence upon him.

Our pastor passionately and circumspectly invited us to consider doing some spiritual cleaning in the area of forgiving those who have hurt us. I’m familiar with the healing that takes place when you forgive others. Back in my 20’s God prompted me to come to terms with forgiving my parents. As I grew into young adulthood I began to blame them for a variety of issues with which I struggled. The bottom line was that they were reasonably good parents who loved me and provided for me the best way that they could. The truth was that it was my own sin that was causing my struggles and I was in great need of God’s mercy working in my life. I’ve often shared with my own children that when they grow up they will need to forgive me for not being a perfect parent…that I will let them down sometimes. But there is a perfect Lover of their souls who will never let them down, and their need for Him is vital to life.

After the message, God brought to mind one of my little $10 hurts, and I conducted His business of debt removal by confessing my unwillingness to forgive a small debt and by asking for His help in forgiving others when they hurt me. I would encourage you to give some consideration as to who it is you need to forgive; and to prayerfully offer mercy to that individual. Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” How can we withhold from others what is so freely given to us?

Affectionately,
Kim

P. S. Good luck with your spring cleaning endeavors!